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SkyLux Travel: Know the Risks Before You Buy

On February 14, 2025. I purchased two business class tickets from SkyLux for $4,987.76. The tickets were for non-stop travel between San Francisco and Maui commencing on October 16.

On September 28, SkyLux advised me that it is not able to deliver the itinerary I purchased. I was offered various alternatives to the itinerary I purchased, none of which was acceptable, and I requested a full refund of the $4,987.76 I paid for the itinerary.

On September 29, SkyLux advised me in writing that “the service you purchased is classified as non-refundable." So, despite the fact that SkyLux admits it cannot make good on what it sold me, it refuses to refund the money I paid.

This is not the only time that SkyLux has attempted to withhold funds from a customer when it is unable to make good on its promises. In April, SkyLux attempted to substitute one-stop service between San Francisco and Washington DC for the non-stop service I purchased . I advised SkyLux that the substitution was unacceptable and requested a full refund of the $3,653.52 I paid for the tickets. Although SkyLux has promised to provide a full refund, more than five months have passed and I still have not received the money. SkyLux excuses the delays by claiming "There are processes and procedures that must be followed."

In short, SkyLux cannot be trusted to deliver on its promises, and when it renigs on a promise, it fails to refund the money that the customer paid on a timely basis.

Finally, the large charge for "travel care" that SkyLux tacks on to the airfare is a very poor investment. As my experience demonstrates, when something goes wrong, SkyLux provides no "care" to its customers.

Posted by
17650 posts

Some research on this company in advance would have saved you some pain.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/skylux-travel
https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k14365433-o40-SkyLux_Travel-Air_Travel.html
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/businessclass-com-skylux

That's just a start. I'm honestly surprised, given you'd already had an expensive previous negative experience with them this past spring, that you booked with them again?

Posted by
13050 posts

Did you ever have a successful booking with skylux?

Was it really less than what the airline(s) was offering?

Posted by
5416 posts

I've always been intrigued by these guys, but 30 seconds of research scared me witless

Posted by
6735 posts

Due diligence. Learn it. Live it. No sympathy from me.

Posted by
3726 posts

Once I found some really affordable business class fares on a website similar to SkyLux, and I posted a question on this forum as to whether or not the company, and the fares, were legit. The replies were a resounding NO!

If only you had done a little research before throwing your money away.

Posted by
1062 posts

Obviously this is a dilemma of OP's own doing, and it is very unlikely the airline
will assist as most of these tickets are obtained using frequent flyer miles sold by
individuals, which is against airline rules.

One option might be to initiate a chargeback with the credit card company.

Posted by
1439 posts

I had never heard of this outfit, a quick google search indicated this is a very sketchy operation.

How did you decide to do business with them, not once, but twice? Did you research them? It took me less than a minute to learn all I needed to know about them to stay away...

Posted by
3074 posts

Am I only person completely confused as to why after they took over $3000 the first time you would go back to them and give them more money?

But to anyone else there is no cheap airfare fairy

Posted by
5416 posts

Keep in mind this company advertises very heavily on travel related sites, so they have high visibility

Posted by
35894 posts

Welcome to the Forum with your first post

...

so they took a whole shedload of money you've never seen again, and you went back to be fleeced twice, and then you complain?

How does that old saying go, fool me once, fool me twice?

Posted by
29659 posts

The tickets for the October trip were purchased on February 14. The first sign of a problem seems not to have occurred until April, when a non-stop flight turned into a connecting flight. I don't know when those April tickets were purchased, but both sets of tickets were purchased before the first problem arose.

Posted by
1439 posts

The first sign of a problem seems not to have occurred until April, when a non-stop flight turned into a connecting flight.

The "problem" in this particular case is the OP did not buy his tickets directly from an airline but from a broker, an intermediary between the passenger and the airline. Airlines, when you are their "customer", must work with you, including refunding, to sort out significant changes to an itinerary, but when you go through a broker for your plane tickets, the passenger loses that protection, all the more reason to always deal directly with the airline when something goes awry.

In your sad tale, you are a customer of the broker, not the airline, and when there is a problem, the airline will tell you to work out issues with the broker. And "problems" can happen after you leave home, during the trip - flight delays, missed connections - and I would hate having to rely on a flight broker to sort out those kinds of common travel problems.

Posted by
3 posts

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Rules (as of 2024–2025)
- Significant Schedule Change: If the airline makes a significant change to your itinerary and you choose not to travel, you are entitled to a refund.
- The DOT defines “significant” as:
- A departure or arrival time change of 3 hours or more for domestic flights
- A departure or arrival time change of 6 hours or more for international flights
*A change that adds a connection to a previously nonstop flight*
- A change that causes a long layover or overnight stay

Posted by
1439 posts

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Rules (as of 2024–2025)
- Significant Schedule Change: If the airline makes a significant change to your itinerary and you choose not to travel, you are entitled to a refund.
- The DOT defines “significant” as:
- A departure or arrival time change of 3 hours or more for domestic flights
- A departure or arrival time change of 6 hours or more for international flights
A change that adds a connection to a previously nonstop flight
- A change that causes a long layover or overnight stay

So where is your refund? Skylux is not an airline.

What airline was involved? Did you get in contact with them? What did they tell you?

Posted by
1341 posts

Sorry you lost your money. I agree with many of the previous posts.

You were able to find this website to complain and warn others.
You were able to find the DOT information.

How did you miss all the negative reviews and warnings about Skylux?

Good luck!

Posted by
161 posts

There are some great consumer advocacy groups out there. They can provide advice on how you can best advocate for yourself, and they sometimes step in and contact the companies directly. These advocates almost always resolve these situations faster than the consumer. Here are a couple groups:

https://www.elliott.org/

https://consumerrescue.org/

Posted by
6735 posts

OP, those DOT rules are fine and dandy. But the airline was contracted to Skylux, not you. Because you were buying from a 3rd party, the airline has no obligation to you. Further, if your ticket was obtained by Skylux by buying someone's frequent flyer miles, which is not allowed , there is no way that Skylux would pursue reimbursement from the airline.

Was Skylux a bad actor in all this? Obviously. Were you also at fault for failing to check out a deal that seemed too good to be true? Before you waved goodbye to your money, not once but twice? Well what do you think?

Posted by
17650 posts

Because you were buying from a 3rd party, the airline has no
obligation to you. Further, if your ticket was obtained by Skylux by
buying someone's frequent flyer miles, which is not allowed , there is
no way that Skylux would pursue reimbursement from the airline

Yep. The devil was in the details.

Posted by
1758 posts

I was offered various alternatives to the itinerary I purchased, none of which was acceptable, and I requested a full refund of the $4,987.76 I paid for the itinerary.

In April, SkyLux attempted to substitute one-stop service between San Francisco and Washington DC for the non-stop service I purchased . I advised SkyLux that the substitution was unacceptable and requested a full refund of the $3,653.52 I paid for the tickets.

I wonder what would have happened if the OP had accepted the alternate flights.

Posted by
3047 posts

Given all thatwent into this topic, it would be nice to know from the op exactly what the resolution was.

Posted by
2171 posts

We actually took a successful flight once with SkyLux. They saved us a few percent, nothing more. I certainly don't recommend them.

Posted by
3074 posts

Keep in mind this company advertises very heavily on travel related sites, so they have high visibility

Honestly, I can’t recall ever having seen an advertisement from this company